Ore concentrator



March 17, 1936. c E BYE 2,Q34,225

, ORE CONCENTRATOR Filed Aug. 9, 1954 s Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORZ OJzarZes EHBy'e,

ATTORNEY.

March 17, 1936.

ORE CbNQENTRATOR F led Aug. 9, 1954 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR:

dhafie's'E! Bye,

- ATTORNEY,

c. E. BYE 2,034,225 I March 17, 1936.

c. E. BYE 2,034,225

ORE CONCENTRATOR Filed Aug. 9, 1934 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 E1 i. Q 78 74 /8 GharZes" E.B1/e,

ATTORNEY,

Patented Mar. 17, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 5 Claims.

My invention relates to a machine for recovering the smallest .particles of :gold or other precious metals which usually accompanying gravel, aur-i-terous sands, dust, etc., and one object is to provide .an efficient machine of this character which is simple in construction and economical to operate.

Aiurther object -is to provide a dry process gold machine which may be operated successfully in localities remote from a water supply.

Anotherobject is to provide 'a machine of this character which may be operated continuously over long .periods of time as the construction is such that stoppage of the machine is unnecessary when taking on materials for separation, or for removal of the separated materials.

in carrying out the invention I employ the forces of gravity, agitation and air blasts in efiecting the separation of precious metals from the waste products; and in order that the invention may be fully understood reference will now bewhad .to the-accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is aside elevation of the machine.

.Fig. .2 is a .plan view of the machine with the lhopper removed.

Fig. 3 is .a detail plan view of an inverted conical .plate employed in carrying out the invention.

Fig. '4 is a :broken vertical cross section on line 44 of Fig.2 with the frame removed and some -of the parts in elevation;

Fig.5 is an enlarged fragmentary crosssection -on line 5-5 of Fig.2.

In carrying .out the invention .I employ a suitable irame comprising in the present instance standards '2, l4 and .6, and a longitudinal member 8 fixed upon .the standards 2 and -4. If the machine is to .be made portable .as shown the foregoing fframe is mounted upon a sled comprising a .pair of runners ill .and a platform I2 uniting said runners.

Referring now more particularly to the mechanism for handling and separating the materials, I4 designates a horizontally-disposed conical plate provided with a depending hub I6 operably mounted upon a stationary shaft l8 supported in any suitable manneras in the socket 211 of a base plate having a flange 22 firmly secured upon 'theplatform I 2 of the sled.

The :upp'er,"orconcentrating surface of the conical plate "I4 is equipped with a fixedly-mounted, centrally located tubular feeder 24provided at its 'f-lower portion with outlets 26. The tubular feeder 24 is supplied from aimpper 21 with the materials to be separated.

(Cl. I209439) The upper surface of the conical plate F4 :is provided with a suitable number of fixedly mounted spiral :rifiles 30 spaced equally apart and extending from the base of the feeder 24 to the circumference-of the :conical plate M. The 5. spiral miles :30 consist preferably of heavy strands of wire which cooperate with the inclined surface :of the conical "plate 14 in providing approximately v shaped grooves 32, Fig. 5, wherein the fine gdld is collected as the coarser and abaser materials roll downwardly by the force of gravity over the conical .plate 14 'anddescend .upon an inverted horizontally-disposed conical plate .34 fixed to said conical plate '14 by a :pluirality of tubular fastening means 36..

In order to facilitate the separation of the ma- 'terials agitation of the 'conical :plates 14 and 34 "is resorted to to aid the .force of gravity and the spiral riffl'es L30. Agitation of said conical plates may be effected in any suitable manner. In an the present instance :I have shown -mechanism -for that purpose comprising an :arm 38 projecting laterally from the lower'margin'o'f said con- :ical plate 1'4, a 'pitman 40 connected at one end to said arm =38andprojectingatits'opposite end Q5 into the path of a :rotary cam :42 fixedly mount- "ed :upon a :rotary shaft 44 driven :by a pulley 46 andljournalediin -bearings-48 'securedto the standards 4 and 6.

The pitman 40 :is heldin a horizontalposition by means of the arm -38 and upper and lower guide rollers 49, which latter are mounted upon shafts 51 projecting from bearings 53 mounted upon the member 8. The conical plate 14 is partially rotated in one direction by the -pitman-40 and partially rotated in a reverse "direction by a coil spring 50 mounted in aslot 52, in the frame member -8, and hearing at oneendagainst abox I '54 reciprocablymounted in the slot 52 and connected :to the arm '38. A short coil spring 56, located in the slot 52, is provided to cushion the end ofthereversestroke to-avoidthe-undueshock which otherwise would 'be "imparted to the :machine if the box 54 were permitted to impinge directly against the adjacent end of the slot '52. The tpitman 40 and the box 54 are loosely connected to the arm 38 to permit the latter, when "in motion, to describe an arc with the conical plate l4, while the pitman and the box move back and forth in a straight line.

. Compressed air is provided to cooperate with the spiral riffles "30 and the respective forces of 'gravityand'agitation'in separating the materials. The compressed air may 'be "obtained from any :suitable :source; 'In the :present instance sIxhave '55 shown such source in the form of a suitably driven blower 58 from which air under pressure is conducted upwardly through a suitable number of flexible tubes 60 secured at their upper ends by clamps 62 to an equal number of air spreaders 64 fixed at their lower ends to the conical plate l4 near the outer'margin thereof.

Preferably, the air spreaders 64 are equal in number to the spiral rifiles 30 and located near the respective ends of narrow passageways 66 formed by the lower portions of said spiral riffies 30, the lower portions of the air spreaders 64 and a number of elements 68 fixed to the upper surface of the conical plate M. The elements 68 consist preferably of short lengths of wire of the same gage as those comprising the spiral riilles 30.

ways 66 which lead to respective outlets lllformed by registering openings in the conical plate l4 and the tubular fastening means 36, which latter are provided with depending nippleslZ extending through the inverted conical plate 34 and equipped with tubes 14 leading to containers 16 resting upon the platform l2 of the sled.

' Reverting to the inverted conical plate 34 it will be seen (Figs. 3 and 4) that it is provided on its concentrating surface with a suitable number of spiral riilles 11 which extend around in a reverse direction to the spiral rifiles 30 to cooperate with the forces of gravity and agitation in conducting the material to an opening 18 formed in the lower central portion of said inverted conical plate 34. A spout 80 is fixed to the under side of the conical plate 34 to carry off the waste material falling through the opening 18.

The inverted conical plate 34 is provided with outlets 19 communicating withflexible tubes 80 leading to containers 82. The outlets 19, like the outlets 10, are too small to admit large particles of waste material but allow any fine gold which may be present to descend into the containers 82 through the tubes 80.

Briefly stated the operation is as follows: When the machine is in operation the materials are uniformly'distributed over the upper portion of theconical plate l4 as they pass from the outlets 26 of the feeder 24. The gravel and coarser pieces of waste material roll downwardly over the conical plate I4 and the spiral riflles 30 and fall into the inverted conical plate 34, from which they pass through the outlet 18 into the spout 80 which discharges them to one side of the machine. The fine gold, however, is caught in the V-shaped grooves 32 formed by the upper surface of the conical plate l4 and the spiral riflles 30 and traverses a spiral course in the direction of the arit is apparent that the momentum thus acquired by thefine gold will cause it to travel downprovided a machine which is well adapted for the purpose intended, and while I have shown one embodiment of the invention I reserve all rights to sucnchanges and modifications thereof as The air spreaders 64' are curved, as shown, to direct the air blasts across the passageproperly fall within the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A machine of the character described comprising a horizontally-disposed conical concentrating plate operably mounted and provided near its lower margin with outlets, means for actuating said conical plate, spiral riilles fixed upon the concentrating surface of said conical plate and extending from a point near the apex thereof to a point near the respective outlets, means fixed upon the conical plate and cooperating with the lower portion of the spiral element in forming narrow passageways leading to the respective outlets, a blowertube leading from said blower to point adjacent therespective passageways, and air spreaders secured to the conical plate and connected to the discharge ends of the respective tubes for directing air from the blower across the passageways.

2. A concentrator of the class described comprising a horizontally-disposed conical plate 011-- erably mounted and provided with spaced outlets near its lower margin, a feeder adapted to discharge materials upon the upper portion of said conical plate, spiral riflies secured upon the concentrating surface of said plate and extending from the upper portion to the lower portion of the latter and adapted to direct concentrates to the respective outlets, means for discharging air blasts, air spreaders spaced from the lower portions of said spiral rifiles to cooperate therewith in directing the concentrates to the respective outlets, the air spreaders being adapted to direct the respective air blasts across the, spaces between the spiral riflies and said air spreaders, and means for agitating the conical plate.

3. A concentrator of the character described comprising a horizontally-disposed conical plate operably mounted and provided with spaced outlets near its lower margin, a feeder adapted to the lower portions of said spiral riflies' to form' narrow passageways leading to the outlets, said air spreaders being curved for directing the respective air blasts across said narrow passageways, an inverted horizontally-disposed conical plate of greater diameter than the first-mentioned conical plate and arranged directly beneath the latter, said inverted conical plate having a centrally-disposed discharge opening, conical riffle means fixed upon said inverted spiral plate and extending from the upper to the lower portion of the latter, a shaft upon which the conical plates are mounted, and means for agitating said conical plates.

4. A concentrator of the character described comprising a horizontally-disposed conical concentrating plate operably mounted, means for differentially actuating said plate, outlets leading downwardly from said conical plate near the outer margin of the latter, narrow passageways on the concentrating surface of said conical plate leading to said outlets, means for discharging air blasts, and air spreaders adjacent the respective outlets and adapted to direct the air blasts acro the respective passageways.

5. A concentrator of the character described comprising a horizontally-disposed conical concentrating plate operably mounted, means for differentially actuating said plate, outlets leading downwardly from said conical plate near the outer margin of the latter, narrow passageways on the concentrating surface of said conical plate leading to said outlets, means for discharging air blasts, flexible tubes connected to said air blast discharging means, and air spreaders fixed upon the conical plate and to which the discharge ends of said flexible tubes are connected, said air spreaders being curved to direct the air blasts 5 across the respective passageways.

CHARLES E. BYE. 

